Information presentation system

ABSTRACT

A system for presenting information to an occupant of a vehicle mounted with an autonomous driving system, includes: a display unit configured to display the information; a display control unit configured to cause the display unit to display information in any one of display modes among a setting status display mode in which setting information is displayed, an operation status display mode in which travel information is displayed, and a recognition status display mode in which recognition result information of the autonomous driving system is displayed; and an acquisition unit configured to acquire an occupant&#39;s display mode switching instruction for switching the display mode, wherein the display control unit configured to switch the display mode of the display unit when the acquisition unit acquires the occupant&#39;s display mode switching instruction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. application Ser.No. 15/193,192 filed Jun. 27, 2016, which is based on Japanese PatentApplication No. 2015-144110 filed with Japan Patent Office on Jul. 21,2015, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an information presentation system.

BACKGROUND

In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-18438, an informationpresentation system is disclosed, which acquires image data forsurroundings of a vehicle using a camera during autonomous driving anddisplays the image data on a display device. In this system, in a casewhere the vehicle recognizes a preset target object in the acquiredimage data, by performing filter processing such as blurring on theimage data of the recognized target object, a visibility for the imagedata of the target object recognized by the vehicle deteriorates. Inthis way, it is possible to cause a driver to pay attention to a partwhich has not been recognized by the vehicle.

SUMMARY

The system disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.2015-18438 only presents the information recognized by the vehicle tothe driver. Therefore, occupants of the vehicle cannot determine whatkind of autonomous driving system is operating and how it is operatingbased on the information recognized by the vehicle. In this technicalfield, it is desirable to provide an information presentation systemthat can present the information recognized by an autonomous drivingsystem to the occupants in association with setting information in theautonomous driving system and travel information of the vehicle based onan occupant's instruction.

An information presentation system in an aspect of the present inventionis configured to present information to an occupant of a vehicle onwhich an autonomous driving system is mounted. The informationpresentation system includes: a display unit configured to display theinformation; a display control unit configured to cause the display unitto display information in any one of display modes among a settingstatus display mode in which setting information for an autonomousdriving set by the occupant or the autonomous driving system isdisplayed, an operation status display mode in which travel informationat the time when the autonomous driving system is operating isdisplayed, and a recognition status display mode in which recognitionresult information of the autonomous driving system is displayed; and anacquisition unit configured to acquire an occupant's display modeswitching instruction for switching the display mode of the displayunit. In a case where the occupant's display mode switching instructionis acquired by the acquisition unit, the display control unit isconfigured to switch the display mode of the display unit based on theoccupant's display mode switching instruction.

In this information presentation system, the display control unit causesthe display unit to perform displaying any one of the displaying modesamong the setting status display mode, the operation status displaymode, and the recognition status display mode. In a case where theoccupant's display mode switching instruction is acquired by theacquisition unit, the display control unit causes the display mode ofthe display unit to be switched based on the occupant's display modeswitching instruction. Therefore, this information presentation systemcan present the recognition information of the autonomous driving systemto the occupant in association with the setting information in theautonomous driving system and the travel information of the vehiclebased on the occupant's instruction.

In an embodiment, in a case where the display unit is caused to displaythe information in the recognition status display mode, the displaycontrol unit may be configured to cause the display unit to display atravel lane of the vehicle recognized by the autonomous driving systemand a certainty level of recognizing the travel lane. In this case, thisinformation presentation system can present the travel lane of thevehicle recognized by the autonomous driving system and the certaintylevel of recognizing the travel lane to the occupant in association withthe setting information in the autonomous driving system and the travelinformation of the vehicle based on the occupant's instruction.

According to an aspect and an embodiment of the present invention, it ispossible to present the recognition information of the autonomousdriving system to the occupant in association with the settinginformation in the autonomous driving system and the travel informationof the vehicle based on the occupant's instruction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle thatincludes an information presentation system in the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an example of a screen displayed on a display unit in asetting status display mode.

FIG. 3 is an example of a screen displayed on the display unit in anoperation status display mode.

FIGS. 4A to 4E are examples of screens displayed on the display unit ina recognition status display mode.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are examples of screens displayed on the display unit inthe recognition status display mode.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are examples of screens displayed on the display unit inthe recognition status display mode.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of display mode switching processing in theinformation presentation system.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram describing the display mode switchingprocessing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the drawings. Note that in the following description,same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference signs andredundant description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle thatincludes an information presentation system in the embodiment. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, an autonomous driving system 100 is mounted on avehicle V such as a passenger car. The autonomous driving system 100 isa system that performs, for example, a travel control (steering control)to cause the vehicle V to travel in a lane center of a travel lane by anautonomous driving, and a travel control (speed control) to cause thevehicle V to travel following a preceding vehicle by the autonomousdriving based on a set vehicle speed and a set vehicle-to-vehicledistance. As an example, the autonomous driving system 100 includes aninformation presentation system 1. The information presentation system 1presents information to occupants of the vehicle V on which theautonomous driving system 100 is mounted. The occupants are persons inthe vehicle V, for example, a driver. Hereinafter, a case where theoccupant is a driver will be described as an example.

The autonomous driving system 100 includes an external sensor 2, aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) receiver 3, an internal sensor 4, a mapdatabase 5, a display mode switch 6, a navigation system 7, a HumanMachine Interface (HMI) 8, an actuator 9, and an Electronic Control Unit(ECU) 10.

The external sensor 2 detects an external situation which issurroundings information of the vehicle V. The external sensor 2includes, for example, at least one of a camera, radar, and a LaserImaging Detection And Ranging (LIDAR).

The camera is an imaging device that images the external situation ofthe vehicle V. The camera is, for example, provided on the inside ofwindshield of the vehicle. The camera may be a monocular camera or maybe a stereo camera. The stereo camera has, for example, two imagingunits that are arranged so as to reproduce a binocular parallax. Theimage information from the stereo camera includes information of thedepth direction. The image information relating to the externalsituation of the vehicle V is output to the ECU 10.

The radar is a detection device that detects an object outside of thevehicle V using a radio wave. The radio wave is, for example, amillimeter wave. The radar detects the object by transmitting the radiowave to the surroundings of the vehicle V and receiving the radio wavereflected from the object. The radar can output, for example, thepresence or absence of an object, a distance to the object, a relativespeed (a speed difference between the vehicle V and a preceding vehicle)of the object to the vehicle V or a direction as object information. Theradar outputs the detected object information to the ECU 10.

The LIDAR is a detection device that detects an object outside of thevehicle V using light. The LIDAR transmits the light to the surroundingsof the vehicle V, measures the distance to the reflection point byreceiving the light reflected from the object, and then, detects theobject. The LIDAR can output, for example, the presence or absence ofthe object, the distance to the object, the relative speed (the speeddifference between the vehicle V and a preceding vehicle) of the objectto the vehicle V or the direction as the object information. The LIDARoutputs the detected object information to the ECU 10. The camera, theLIDAR, and the radar are not necessarily prepared in an overlappingmanner.

The GPS receiver 3 receives signals from three or more GPS satellitesand acquires position information indicating a position of the vehicleV. For example, the latitude and longitude are included in the positioninformation. The GPS receiver 3 outputs the measured positioninformation of the vehicle V to the ECU 10. Instead of the GPS receiver3, another means for specifying the latitude and the longitude at whichthe vehicle V is present may be used.

The internal sensor 4 detects information according to the travellingstate of a vehicle V. The internal sensor 4 includes at least one of aspeed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor in order todetect the information according to the travelling state of a vehicle V.

The speed sensor is a detection device that detects a speed of thevehicle V. As the speed sensor, for example, a wheel speed sensor isused, which is provided on vehicle wheels of the vehicle V or a driveshaft rotating integrally with the vehicle wheels and detects arotational speed of the vehicle wheels. The speed sensor outputs thedetected speed information (wheel speed information) including the speedof the vehicle V to the ECU 10.

The acceleration sensor is a detection device that detects anacceleration of the vehicle V. The acceleration sensor includes, forexample, a longitudinal acceleration sensor that detects acceleration inthe longitudinal direction of the vehicle V and a lateral accelerationsensor that detects a lateral acceleration of the vehicle V. Theacceleration sensor outputs, for example, the detected accelerationinformation including the acceleration of the vehicle V to the ECU 10.

The yaw rate sensor is a detection device that detects a yaw rate(rotational angular velocity) around the vertical axis of the center ofgravity of the vehicle V. As the yaw rate sensor, for example, a gyrosensor can be used. The yaw rate sensor outputs the detected yaw rateinformation including the yaw rate of the vehicle V to the ECU 10.

The map database 5 is a database in which map information is included.The map database 5 is formed, for example, in a hard disk drive (HDD)mounted on the vehicle V. In the map information, for example, positioninformation of roads, information on road types, and positioninformation of intersections and branch points are included. In theinformation on road types includes, for example, types of straightportion and a curved portion, and a curvature of the curve are included.The map database 5 may be stored in a computer in the facility such asan information processing center which is capable of communicating withthe vehicle V.

The display mode switch 6 is an input device operated by the driver ofthe vehicle V. The display mode switch 6 outputs a signal indicating adisplay mode switching instruction for switching the display mode on adisplay unit 8 b described below according to the display mode switchingoperation by the driver of the vehicle V to the ECU 10. The display modeswitch 6 may be configured as hardware or may be configured to becombined with software by a touch panel. Alternatively, the autonomousdriving system 100 may include a gesture recognition device, a voicerecognition device, or the like instead of the display mode switch 6. Inthis case, the gesture recognition device or a voice recognition devicemay output the display mode switching instruction for switching thedisplay mode on the display unit 8 b to the ECU 10 based on therecognition result.

The navigation system 7 is a device that performs guidance to adestination set on the map by a driver of the vehicle V for the driverof the vehicle V. The navigation system 7 calculates a travelling routeof the vehicle V based on the position information of the vehicle Vmeasured by the GPS receiver 3 and the map information in the mapdatabase 5. The route may be a route on which, for example, a travellinglane in which the vehicle V travels is specified in the road section ofmulti-lane. The navigation system 7 calculates, for example, a targetroute from the position of the vehicle V to the destination and performsnotification on the driver of the target route using the HMI 8 describedbelow. In addition, the navigation system 7, for example, outputs thetarget route information of the vehicle V to the ECU 10. The navigationsystem 7 may use the information stored in the computer in the facilitysuch as an information processing center which is capable ofcommunicating with the vehicle V. In addition, a part of the processingperformed by the navigation system 7 may be performed by the computer inthe facility.

The HMI 8 is an interface that performs an input and output of theinformation between the driver of the vehicle V and the autonomousdriving system 100. The HMI 8 includes, for example, a voice output unit8 a and the display unit 8 b as the output interface. The voice outputunit 8 a is a device that outputs a voice, for example, a speaker or thelike. The voice output unit 8 a presents information to the driverthrough the hearing. The display unit 8 b is a device mounted, forexample, on the vehicle V, and displays information such as a character,a diagram, an image or a video image. A navigation screen display devicethat is connected to the navigation system 7, a display provided on aninstrument panel, or a head up display (HUD) that projects informationon a windshield can be used as the display unit 8 b. The display unit 8b can display various information based on a control signal from the ECU10. For example, the display unit 8 b displays, for example, theinformation in a plurality of display modes based on the control signalfrom the ECU 10. The plurality of display modes will be described below.

The HMI 8 includes, for example, an operation button or a touch panelfor performing the input operation of the driver as the input interface.For example, the HMI 8 includes an autonomous driving ON/OFF switch thatis an input unit for inputting an operation for requesting the startingof the autonomous driving. The autonomous driving ON/OFF switch may beconfigured to enable the driver to input the operation for requestingthe ending of the autonomous driving. When the driver performs anoperation for requesting for the start or end of the autonomous driving,the autonomous driving ON/OFF switch outputs information indicating thestarting or ending of the autonomous driving to the ECU 10. In addition,the HMI 8 may be configured to be capable of setting the target speed,target vehicle-to-vehicle distance, or the like of the vehicle V at thetime of autonomous driving. The HMI 8 is not limited to the switch, butmay be any device as long as the device can input information with whichthe driver's intention can be determined. For example, the HMI 8 may bean autonomous driving start button, an autonomous driving end button, orthe like, or may be an object of a switch or a button displayed on ascreen which can be operated by the driver. The HMI 8 may perform theoutputting of the information to the driver using a wirelessly connectedmobile information terminal or may receive input operation of the driverusing the mobile information terminal.

The actuator 9 is a device that executes the travel control of thevehicle V. The actuator 9 includes, for example, at least a throttleactuator, a brake actuator, and a steering actuator. The throttleactuator controls a supply amount (throttle opening degree) of air to anengine according to the control signal from the ECU 10, and controls thedriving power of the vehicle V. In a case where the vehicle V is ahybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, the driving power is controlledby the control signal from the ECU 10 being input to a motor which is asource of the driving force.

The brake actuator controls a brake system according to the controlsignal from the ECU 10 and controls the braking power given to thewheels of the vehicle V. For example, a hydraulic brake system can beused as the brake system. The steering actuator controls the driving ofan assist motor that controls steering torque in the electric powersteering system according to the control signal from the ECU 10. In thisway, the steering actuator controls the steering torque of the vehicleV.

The ECU 10 controls the vehicle V. The ECU 10 is an electronic controlunit including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory(ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a controller area network (CAN)communication circuit, or the like. The ECU 10 is, for example,connected to a network that communicates using the CAN communicationcircuit so as to be capable of communicating with the configurationelements of the vehicle V described above. The ECU 10 inputs and outputsthe data by causing the CAN communication circuit to operate, stores theinput data in the RAM, loads a program stored in the ROM on the RAM, andexecutes the program loaded on the RAM based on, for example, the signaloutput from the CPU, and then, realizes each functions of theconfiguration elements of the ECU 10 as described below. The ECU 10 maybe configured of a plurality of electronic control units.

The ECU 10 includes a external situation recognition unit 11, a vehicleposition recognition unit 12, a travelling state recognition unit 13, atravel plan generation unit 14, a travel control unit 15, a displaycontrol unit 16 and an acquisition unit 17.

The external situation recognition unit 11 acquires the surroundingsinformation of the vehicle V. The surroundings information meansinformation indicating an environment or a situation of the vehicle Vwithin a predetermined range. For example, the external situationrecognition unit 11 acquires the detection result of the external sensor2 as the surroundings information of the vehicle V. For example, theimage information from the camera, the object information from theradar, the object information from the LIDAR, or the like are includedin the detection result of the external sensor 2. The external situationrecognition unit 11 stores the object information (value of the sensor)including the distance to the object (vehicle-to-vehicle distance) inthe storage unit included in the ECU 10. As described below, thedistance to the object (vehicle-to-vehicle distance) can be displayed onthe display unit 8 b as travel information when the autonomous drivingsystem 100 is in operation.

The external situation recognition unit 11 recognizes the externalsituation of the vehicle V based on the acquired information. Theexternal situation of the vehicle V may include, for example, the numberof lanes on the travelling road, a lane boundary line, a center line, abranch, a merging point, a traffic regulation, a position of the centerof the lane, a width of the road, and a type of the road. The type ofthe road may be, for example, a curvature of the travelling lane, agradient change of the road effective for estimating the prospects ofthe external sensor 2, and an undulation. Furthermore, the externalsituation recognition unit 11 may recognize a presence or absence, and aposition of another vehicle based on the object information. Theexternal situation recognition unit 11 stores the external situationincluding, for example, the number of lanes on the travelling road, theposition the lane boundary line, the position of the center line, thepresence or absence, and the position of another vehicle in the storageunit included in the ECU 10. As described below, the external situationof the vehicle V can be displayed on the display unit 8 b as recognitionresult information when the autonomous driving system 100 is inoperation.

When recognizing the external situation of the vehicle V, the externalsituation recognition unit 11 may calculates a certainty level of therecognition in association with the recognition result. The certaintylevel of the recognition is a degree indicating a certainty of therecognition. For example, the external situation recognition unit 11calculates the certainty level of the recognition in association withthe recognition result according to reliability of the data used forrecognizing the external situation of the vehicle V, the number of thedata items, and the performance of the sensors. A known method can beused as a method for calculating such a certainty level of therecognition. The external situation recognition unit 11 stores thecertainty level of the recognition in association with the recognitionresult including, for example, the number of lanes on the travellingroad, positions of the lane boundary lines, and a position of the centerline in the storage unit included in the ECU 10.

The vehicle position recognition unit 12 recognizes the vehicle positionof the vehicle V on the map based on the vehicle position information ofthe vehicle V received by the GPS receiver 3 and the map information inthe map database 5. The vehicle position recognition unit 12 mayrecognize the vehicle position by acquiring the vehicle position used inthe navigation system 7 from the navigation system 7. In a case wherethe vehicle position of the vehicle is measured by a sensor installed atthe outside of the vehicle such as the road, the vehicle positionrecognition unit 12 may acquire the vehicle position from the sensor bya communication. The vehicle position recognition unit 12 stores therecognition result including, for example, the vehicle position of thevehicle V in the storage unit included in the ECU 10. The vehicleposition of the vehicle V can be displayed on the display unit 8 b asrecognition result information at the time when the autonomous drivingsystem 100 is in operation.

The vehicle position recognition unit 12 may recognize (estimates) atravel lane based on the recognized vehicle position and the mapinformation in the map database 5 or the recognition result from theexternal situation recognition unit 11. The vehicle position recognitionunit 12 determines whether or not the vehicle V travels on a road havinga plurality of lanes in a same travelling direction (road of multiplelanes in one way). Then, in a case where it is determined that thevehicle V travels on the road of multiple lanes in one way, the vehicleposition recognition unit 12 may recognize the travel lane of thevehicle V among the plurality of lanes based on, for example, thevehicle position of the vehicle V and the map information. The vehicleposition recognition unit 12 may recognize the travel lane of thevehicle V based on the recognition result (the result of imaging thetravelling road by the camera) from the external situation recognitionunit 11. The vehicle position recognition unit 12 stores, for example,the result of recognizing the travel lane of the vehicle V in thestorage unit included in the ECU 10. As described below, the travel laneof the vehicle V can be displayed on the display unit 8 b as therecognition result information at the time when the autonomous drivingsystem 100 is in operation.

In addition, the vehicle position recognition unit 12 may recognize alateral position of the vehicle V in the travel lane based on thevehicle position recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 12and the map information in the map database 5. The vehicle positionrecognition unit 12 stores, for example, the lateral position of thevehicle V in the storage unit included in the ECU 10. The lateralposition of the vehicle V can be displayed on the display unit 8 b asthe recognition result information at the time when the autonomousdriving system 100 is in operation.

When recognizing the travel lane of the vehicle V or the lateralposition of the vehicle V, the vehicle position recognition unit 12 maycalculate the certainty level of the recognition in association with therecognition result. For example, the vehicle position recognition unit12 calculates the certainty level of the recognition in association withthe recognition result according to the reliability of the data used forrecognizing the travel lane of the vehicle V or the lateral position ofthe vehicle V, the number of the data items, and the performance of thesensors. A known method can be used as a method for calculating such thecertainty level of the recognition. The vehicle position recognitionunit 12 stores, for example, the certainty level of the recognition inassociation with the result of recognizing the travel lane of thevehicle V or the lateral position of the vehicle V in the storage unitincluded in the ECU 10.

The travelling state recognition unit 13 recognizes a travelling stateof the vehicle V based on the detection result of the internal sensor 4.The travelling state is a behavior of the vehicle V and is a valuedetected by, for example, the internal sensor 4. The travel informationmay include only one kind of value (for example, a speed) or may includea multiple kinds of values (for example, the speed and theacceleration). In the result of detection by the internal sensor 4, forexample, the speed information from the speed sensor, the accelerationinformation from the acceleration sensor, the yaw rate information fromthe yaw rate sensor and the like are included. The travelling staterecognition unit 13 stores, for example, the travelling state (value ofthe sensors) including the speed of the vehicle V in the storage unitincluded in the ECU 10. As described below, the speed of the vehicle Vcan be displayed on the display unit 8 b as the travel information atthe time when the autonomous driving system 100 is in operation.

The travel plan generation unit 14 generates a travel path of thevehicle V based on the target route calculated by the navigation system7, the vehicle position recognized by the vehicle position recognitionunit 12, and the external situation (including the vehicle position andthe direction) of the vehicle V recognized by the external situationrecognition unit 11. The travel path is a trajectory on which thevehicle V progresses on the target route. The travel plan generationunit 14 generates the travel path on the target route such that thevehicle V travels while satisfying the references such as the safety,regulatory compliance, and travelling efficiency. Furthermore, thetravel plan generation unit 14 generates the travel path of the vehicleV so as to avoid the contact with an object based on the situation ofthe object around the vehicle V. A travelling route automaticallygenerated based on the external situation or the map information whenthe setting of the destination is not explicitly performed by the driveris also included in the target route.

The travel plan generation unit 14 generates the travel plan inaccordance with the generated travel path. That is, the travel plangeneration unit 14 generates the travel plan along the target route seton the map in advance based on the external situation which is at leastthe information surrounding the vehicle V and the map information in themap database 5. For example, a control target value (an example of atarget value) which is a target when the autonomous driving system 100performs the vehicle control is also included in the travel plan. Forexample, the travel plan may include the target speed of the vehicle V,the target acceleration, or the target steering torque of the steeringwhen the vehicle V travels on the travel path along the target route.For example, the travel plan may include at least one of a speed patternof the vehicle V, an acceleration pattern, and a steering torquepattern.

The speed pattern is data formed from a target speed set in associationwith the time for each target control position with respect to thetarget control position (including a target lateral position) set on thetravel path in a predetermined interval (for example, one meter). Theacceleration pattern or deceleration pattern is, for example, dataformed from the target acceleration or deceleration set in associationwith the time for each target control position with respect to thetarget control position set on the travel path in a predeterminedinterval (for example, one meter). The steering torque pattern is, forexample, data formed from the target steering torque set in associationwith the time for each target control position with respect to thetarget control position set on the path in a predetermined interval (forexample, one meter).

The travel plan generation unit 14 generates the travel plan in a casewhere, for example, the information indicating the start of theautonomous driving from the autonomous driving ON/OFF switch isacquired. In addition, the travel plan generation unit 14 outputs thegenerated travel plan to the storage unit to which the travel controlunit 15 can refer.

The travel control unit 15 performs the travel control using the travelplan generated by the travel plan generation unit 14. The travel controlmeans to cause the vehicle V to travel in an autonomous driving state.Specifically, the travel control includes at least one of a speedcontrol in the autonomous driving state and the steering control in theautonomous driving state. The travel control unit 15 may execute onlyone of the speed control and the steering control or may execute in acombined manner. The speed control in the autonomous driving state is astate in which the adjustment of the speed of the vehicle V or thevehicle-to-vehicle distance can be realized only by the control of theautonomous driving system 100 without the acceleration or decelerationoperation by the driver. The steering control in the autonomous drivingstate is a state in which the adjustment of the lateral position of thevehicle V can be realized only by the control of the autonomous drivingsystem 100 without the steering operation by the driver.

The travel control by the travel control unit 15 is not limited to thetravel control using the travel plan. For example, The travel controlunit 15 may perform an autonomous speed adjustment (speed control) inwhich the target speed (or an upper limit speed) and the targetvehicle-to-vehicle distance (or an allowable vehicle-to-vehicledistance) are set as the target values. These target values may be acertain value set according to the travelling environment or theregulation, may be a value set by the driver, may be a value that variesaccording to the time or the distance, or may be a value set by thetravel plan generation unit 14 (the autonomous driving system 100)according to the travelling situation. The setting information (settinginformation for the autonomous driving set by the driver or theautonomous driving system 100) used by the travel control unit 15 isstored in the storage unit included in the ECU 10. The autonomous speedadjustment is a driving state in which the speed of the vehicle Vautonomously controlled. For example, the autonomous speed adjustment isthe driving state in which, in a case where a preceding vehicle is notpresent in front of the vehicle V, a constant speed control for causingthe vehicle V to travel at a constant speed such as a target speed setin advance is performed, and in which, in a case where the precedingvehicle is present in front of the vehicle V, a follow-up control foradjusting the speed of the vehicle V according to the vehicle-to-vehicledistance to the preceding vehicle such that the distance becomes thevehicle-to-vehicle distance set in advance. The autonomous speedadjustment is realized by the operation of the actuator 9 based on thecontrol signal output from the travel control unit 15. Even in a casewhere the driver does not perform the acceleration or decelerationoperation (acceleration operation (for example, operating anacceleration pedal) or a braking operation (for example, operating abrake pedal)), the speed adjustment for the vehicle V can beautonomously performed by the autonomous speed adjustment.

Alternatively, the travel control unit 15 may perform the autonomoussteering adjustment (steering control) in which the target lateralposition is set as the target value. The target value may be a certainvalue (for example, a center of the lane) set according to thetravelling environment, may be a value set by the driver, may be a valuethat varies according to the time or the distance, or may be a value setby the travel plan generation unit 14 (the autonomous driving system100) according to the travelling situation. The setting information(setting information for the autonomous driving set by the driver or theautonomous driving system 100) used by the travel control unit 15 isstored in the storage unit included in the ECU 10. The autonomoussteering adjustment is a driving state in which the steering of thevehicle V is autonomously performed such that the lateral position ofthe vehicle V becomes the target lateral position (or such that thevehicle V does not depart from the travel lane). The autonomous steeringadjustment is realized by the operation of the actuator 9 based on thecontrol signal output from the travel control unit 15. Even in a casewhere the driver does not perform the steering operation, the steeringof the vehicle V along the travel lane can be autonomously performed bythe autonomous steering adjustment.

The display control unit 16 is connected to the display unit 8 b andcauses the display unit 8 b to perform displaying operation in apredetermined display mode. As a specific example, the display controlunit 16 causes the display unit 8 b to perform the displaying operationin any of the display mode among the setting status display mode,operation status display mode, and recognition status display mode.“Causing the display unit 8 b to perform the displaying operation in anyof the display modes” means that it is sufficient that the displaycontrol unit 16 can cause the display unit 8 b to perform the displayingoperation in at least any of the setting status display mode, theoperation status display mode, and the recognition status display mode.That is, display control unit 16 may cause the display unit 8 b toperform the displaying operation in a display mode other than thesetting status display mode, the operation status display mode, and therecognition status display mode. For example, display control unit 16can cause the display unit 8 b to perform the displaying operation in anoverhead-view image display mode in which the vehicle is viewed from thetop. The display control unit 16 causes the information relating to theautonomous driving of the vehicle V to be displayed on the display unit8 b in a predetermined display mode referring to the storage unitincluded in the ECU 10.

Hereinafter, the display modes on the display unit 8 b based on thecontrol signal from the display control unit 16 will be described.

1. Setting Status Display Mode

The setting status display mode is a display mode in which settinginformation for the autonomous driving set by the driver or theautonomous driving system 100. The setting information is a parameternecessary to be set by the driver or the autonomous driving system 100in order for the autonomous driving system 100 to realize the autonomousdriving. For example, in a case where the autonomous driving is tocontrol the speed, the setting information includes the target speed,the upper limit speed, the set vehicle-to-vehicle distance, and thelike. For example, in a case where the autonomous driving is to controlthe steering, the setting information includes the target lateralposition and the like. The display control unit 16 acquires the settinginformation referring to the storage unit included in the ECU 10 anddisplays the setting information on the display unit 8 b.

FIG. 2 is an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 8 b in asetting status display mode. FIG. 2 illustrates a set status displayscreen GA1 as an example of displaying the setting information of thespeed control. The set status display screen GA1 includes a vehicle icona1, travel lane boundary line icons a2 and a3, a text a4 indicating thesetting information, and a set status text a5 (setting information)indicating the set status. Here, the display unit 8 b displays “speed:100 km” indicating the upper limit speed, “distance: 70 m” indicatingthe set vehicle-to-vehicle distance as the set status text a5. Thedisplay of the setting information is not limited to the text format,and may be in a graphic format. The set status display screen GA1 mayinclude at least the icon which is the setting information or the text.The content of the text a4 may be presented by a voice from the voiceoutput unit 8 a. The vehicle icon a1, the travel lane boundary lineicons a2 and a3 may not be displayed. Alternatively, the vehicle icona1, the travel lane boundary line icons a2 and a3 may not be displayeddepending on the device type of the display unit 8 b. For example, in acase where a navigation screen display device connected to thenavigation system 7 or a display provided on an instrument panel isadopted as the display unit 8 b, the set status display screen GA1including the vehicle icon a1, the travel lane boundary line icons a2and a3 may be displayed. For example, in a case where an HUD is adoptedas the display unit 8 b, the vehicle icon a1, the travel lane boundaryline icons a2 and a3 may be omitted, and a virtual image of the text a4and the set status text a5 may be projected on the windshield.

2. Operation Status Display Mode

The operation status display mode is a display mode in which the travelinformation is displayed when the autonomous driving system 100 is inoperation. The travel information when the autonomous driving system 100is in operation is information relating to the travelling state which isthe result of control by the autonomous driving system 100. The travelinformation is, for example, a sensor value (detection value) of thetarget of control corresponding to the setting information. For example,in a case where the autonomous driving is to control the speed, thetravel information is a detection value such as a speed, avehicle-to-vehicle distance, or the like. For example, in a case wherethe autonomous driving is to control the steering, the travelinformation is a result of recognizing the lateral position, or thelike. The display control unit 16 acquires the travel informationreferring to the storage unit included in the ECU 10 and displays thetravel information on the display unit 8 b.

FIG. 3 is an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 8 b inthe operation status display mode. FIG. 3 illustrates a travel statusdisplay screen GB1 as an example of displaying the travel information ofthe speed control. The travel status display screen GB1 includes avehicle icon a1, travel lane boundary line icons a2 and a3, a text a6indicating a type of the autonomous driving in operation, and travelstatus text a7 (travel information) indicating the travel status. Here,the display unit 8 b displays an “adaptive cruise control” (ACC)indicating that the speed control (preceding vehicle follow-up control)is in operation and a “lane keeping assist” (LKA) indicating that thesteering control (lane keeping control) is in operation as the text a6.Then, the display unit 8 b displays a sensor value “speed: 96 km”indicating the current speed, a sensor value “distance: 65 m” indicatingthe current vehicle-to-vehicle distance as the travel status text a7.The display of the lateral position is omitted. The display of thetravel information is not limited to the text format, and may be in agraphic format. The travel status display screen GB1 may include atleast the icon or the text which is the travel information. The contentof the text a6 may be presented by a voice from the voice output unit 8a. The vehicle icon a1, the travel lane boundary line icons a2 and a3may not be displayed. Alternatively, the vehicle icon a1, the travellane boundary line icons a2 and a3 may not be displayed depending on thedevice type of the display unit 8 b. For example, in a case where anavigation screen display device connected to the navigation system 7 ora display provided on an instrument panel is adopted as the display unit8 b, the travel status display screen GB1 including the vehicle icon a1,the travel lane boundary line icons a2 and a3 may be displayed. Forexample, in a case where an HUD is adopted as the display unit 8 b, thevehicle icon a1, the travel lane boundary line icons a2 and a3 may beomitted, and a virtual image of the text a6 and the travel status texta7 may be projected on the windshield.

3. Recognition Status Display Mode

The recognition status display mode is a display mode in which therecognition result information of the autonomous driving system 100 isdisplayed. The recognition result information of the autonomous drivingsystem 100 is, for example, a result of recognizing the vehicleposition, the travel lane, or the external situation. The result ofrecognizing the external situation includes a result of recognizinganother vehicle in front of the vehicle V or a result of recognizing thelane. The display control unit 16 acquires the recognition resultinformation referring to the storage unit included in the ECU 10 anddisplays the recognition result information on the display unit 8 b.

In the recognition status display mode, the recognition resultinformation of the autonomous driving system 100 may be displayed inassociation with a actual scene, an image or a video image in which theactual scene is imaged, or the map information. In a case of thisconfiguration, since the correspondence relationship between the actualscene or the map and the recognition result is presented to the driver,it is possible for the driver to grasp the degree of the recognition ofthe autonomous driving system. A known method can be used for displayingwith such a correspondence relationship. For example, in a case where anavigation screen display device connected to the navigation system 7 ora display provided on an instrument panel is adopted as the display unit8 b, the display control unit 16 may display a layer of the image or thevideo image imaged by the camera (an example of the external sensor 2)and a layer of the image in which the icon or text which are therecognition result information are displayed, on the display unit 8 b ina superimposed manner. Alternatively, the display control unit 16 maydisplay a layer of the image (for example, the image of in front of thetravel lane) drawn based on the map information and a layer of the imagein which the icon or text which are the recognition result informationare displayed, on the display unit 8 b in a superimposed manner. Inaddition, the display control unit 16 may generate and display an imagein which the icon or the text is embedded in the image or the videoimage imaged by the camera (an example of the external sensor 2) withoutdividing the images into the layers. In a case where an HUD is adoptedas the display unit 8 b, the image or the video image imaged by thecamera (an example of the external sensor 2) is not needed. In a casewhere an HUD is adopted as the display unit 8 b, the display controlunit 16 may cause the virtual image of the recognition resultinformation to be projected on the windshield in such a manner that theactual scene that is present ahead of the driver's line of sight and therecognition result information are superimposed on the driver's line ofsight. In this way, the actual scene and the recognition resultinformation are displayed in a superimposed manner.

In a case where the display unit 8 b displays the information in therecognition status display mode, the display control unit 16 may displaythe travel lane of the vehicle V recognized by the autonomous drivingsystem 100 and the certainty level of recognizing the travel lane on thedisplay unit 8 b.

FIGS. 4A to 4E are examples of screens displayed on the display unit 8 bin the recognition status display mode. In FIG. 4A, a recognition statusdisplay screen GC1 is illustrated as an example, in which objectsindicating the result of recognizing other vehicles travelling in frontof the vehicle V are displayed in a superimposed manner on the image inwhich front of the vehicle V is imaged by the camera (an example of theexternal sensor 2). Here, the vehicle V is travelling on a two-lane roadand other vehicles V1 to V3 are travelling in front of the vehicle V. Inaddition, the vehicle V is travelling in the left side travel lane onthe two-lane road. Hereinafter, the description will be made with theleft lane as a first lane R1 and the right lane as a second lane R2. Theexternal situation recognition unit 11 recognizes the other vehicles V2and V3, and stores the recognition result and the certainty level of therecognition in association with each other in the storage unit includedin the ECU 10. In addition, the travelling state recognition unit 13stores, for example, the recognition result indicating that the travellane of the vehicle V is the first lane R1 and the certainty level ofthe recognition in association with each other in the storage unitincluded in the ECU 10.

The display control unit 16 causes the recognition status display screenGC1 to be displayed on the display unit 8 b based on, for example, thecamera video image and the information obtained referring to the storageunit included in the ECU 10. For example, the display control unit 16configures the recognition status display screen GC1 by creating thecamera video image, rectangular objects T1 and T2 indicating the resultof recognizing other vehicles, and objects P1 and P2 indicating theresult of recognizing the travel lane in the layers different from eachother, and then, superimposing the plurality of layers.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example of a camera video image H1. FIG. 4Cillustrates an image H2 including rectangular object images T1 and T2indicating the result of recognizing other vehicles. The display controlunit 16 may change the object of the result of recognizing the othervehicles according to the certainty level of the recognition. Forexample, the display control unit 16 generates the object according tothe certainty level of the recognition or may store the objects in thestorage unit included in the ECU 10 in association with the certaintylevel of the recognition and may read out the object from the storageaccording to the certainty level of the recognition. Here, the displaycontrol unit 16 adopts a rectangular object of a dashed line in a casewhere the certainty level of the recognition is lower than apredetermined value, and in a case where the certainty level of therecognition is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, adopts arectangular object of a solid line. In the example in FIG. 4C, since thecertainty level of recognizing the other vehicle V2 is equal to orhigher than the predetermined value, the rectangular object T2 of asolid line is adopted as the recognition result information of the othervehicle V2. On the other hand, since the certainty level of therecognizing the other vehicle V3 is lower than the predetermined value,the rectangular object T3 of a dashed line is adopted as the recognitionresult information of the other vehicle V3. The display control unit 16may change colors of the objects according to the certainty level or maydisplay the certainty levels in numerical values.

FIG. 4D illustrates an image H3 including objects P1 and P2 indicatingthe result of recognizing the travel lane. The objects P1 and P2indicate which lane is the travel lane according to areas of thedisplayed lanes. In a case where the area of the object P1 on the leftside is larger than the area of the object P2 on the right side, thetravel lane is indicated as the first lane R1. In a case where the areaof the object P2 on the right side is larger than the area of the objectP1 on the left side, the travel lane is indicated as the second lane R2(for example, FIG. 4E). The display control unit 16 may change theobject of the result of recognizing the other vehicle according to thecertainty level of the recognition. Here, display control unit 16changes a color density or the degree of transparency of the objectaccording to the certainty level of the recognition. For example,display control unit 16 may increase the color density of the object ormay decrease the degree of the transparency as the certainty level ofthe recognition increases. The display control unit 16 may change thecolors of the objects according to the certainty level or may displaythe certainty levels in numerical values.

The display control unit 16 configures the recognition status displayscreen GC1 illustrated in FIG. 4A by displaying the camera video imageH1 and the images H1, H2, and H3 respectively illustrated in FIGS. 4B to4D in a superimposed manner. In this way, it is possible to display therecognition result of the autonomous driving system 100 incorrespondence with the actual scene. Accordingly, it is possible topresent the facts that the autonomous driving system 100 recognizes theother vehicles V2 and V3 without recognizing the other vehicle V1, thatthe certainty level of recognizing the other vehicle V3 is low, and thatthe travel lane is recognized as the first lane R1, to the driver incorrespondence with the actual scene.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are examples of screens displayed on the display unit 8 bin the recognition status display mode. FIG. 5A illustrates an exampleof recognition status display screen GD1 in which an object indicating aresult of recognizing the lane of the vehicle V is displayed on thevideo image in which the front of the vehicle V is imaged by the camera(an example of the external sensor 2) in a superimposed manner. FIG. 5Aillustrates a scene same as the scene in FIG. 4A and the other vehiclesV1 to V3 are omitted in order for the convenience in describing andunderstanding. Here, the vehicle V travels on the two-lane road. Inaddition, the vehicle V travels in the first lane R1 on the two-laneroad. The external situation recognition unit 11 recognizes, forexample, boundary lines L1 and L2 of the first lane R1, boundary linesL2 and L3 of the second lane R2, and stores the recognition result inthe storage unit included in the ECU 10 in association with thecertainty level of the recognition. In addition, the travelling staterecognition unit 13 stores, for example, the recognition result that thetravel lane of the vehicle V is the first lane R1 in the storage unitincluded in the ECU 10 in association with the certainty level of therecognition.

The display control unit 16 causes the recognition status display screenGD1 to be displayed on the display unit 8 b based on, for example, thecamera video image and the information obtained referring to the storageunit included in the ECU 10. For example, the display control unit 16configures the recognition status display screen GD1 by creating thecamera video image, objects T3 to T5 indicating the result ofrecognizing the boundary lines of the lane, and the objects P1 and P2indicating the result of recognizing the travel lane in the layersdifferent from each other, and then, superimposing the plurality oflayers.

FIG. 5B illustrates an example of a camera video image H4. FIG. 5Cillustrates an image H5 including the objects T3 to T5 indicating theresult of recognizing the boundary lines of the lane. The displaycontrol unit 16 may change the object of the result of recognizing theother vehicles according to the certainty level of the recognition. Forexample, the display control unit 16 may generate the object accordingto the certainty level of the recognition or may store the objects inthe storage unit included in the ECU 10 in association with thecertainty level of the recognition and may read out the object from thestorage unit according to the certainty level of the recognition. Here,in a case where the certainty level of the recognition is lower than apredetermined value, the display control unit 16 adopts a rectangularobject of a dashed line, and in a case where the certainty level of therecognition is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, adopts arectangular object of a solid line. In the example in FIG. 5C, since thecertainty level of the recognizing the boundary line L1 is equal to orhigher than the predetermined value, the object T3 of a solid line isadopted as the recognition result information of the boundary line L1.On the other hand, since the certainty level of recognizing the boundarylines L2 and L3 is lower than the predetermined value, the objects T4and T5 of dashed lines are adopted as the recognition result informationof the boundary lines L2 and L3. The display control unit 16 may changethe colors of the objects according to the certainty level or maydisplay the certainty levels in numerical values.

FIG. 5D illustrates an image H6 including objects P1 and P2 indicatingthe result of recognizing the travel lane. The image H6 is created in asame method as the method of creating the image H3 illustrated in FIG.4D.

The display control unit 16 configures the recognition status displayscreen GD1 illustrated in FIG. 5A by displaying the camera video imageH4, the images H5 and H6 illustrated in FIGS. 5B to 5D in a superimposedmanner. In this way, it is possible to display the recognition result ofthe autonomous driving system 100 in correspondence with the actualscene. Accordingly, it is possible to present the facts that theautonomous driving system 100 recognizes the boundary lines L1 to L3 ofthe lane, that the certainty level of recognizing the boundary lines L2and L3 is low and the position of the boundary line L2 is recognized asbeing shifted, and that the travel lane is recognized as the first laneR1, to the driver.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are examples of screens displayed on the display unit 8 bin the recognition status display mode. FIG. 6A illustrates an exampleof recognition status display screen GE1 in which an object indicating aresult of recognizing the travel lane of the vehicle V is displayed onthe road image in the map information in a superimposed manner. FIG. 6Aillustrates a scene same as the scene in FIG. 4A. Here, the vehicle Vtravels on the two-lane road. In addition, the vehicle V travels in thefirst lane R1 on the two-lane road. The travelling state recognitionunit 13 stores, for example, the recognition result which indicates thatthe travel lane of the vehicle V is the first lane R1 in the storageunit included in the ECU 10 in association with the certainty level ofthe recognition.

The display control unit 16 causes the recognition status display screenGE1 to be displayed on the display unit 8 b based on, for example, themap information obtained from the map database 5 and the informationobtained referring to the storage unit included in the ECU 10. Forexample, the display control unit 16 configures the recognition statusdisplay screen GE1 by creating the road image and the objects P1 and P2indicating the result of recognizing the travel lane in the layersdifferent from each other, and then, superimposing the plurality oflayers.

FIG. 6B illustrates an example of a road image H7. FIG. 6C illustratesan image H8 including the objects P1 and P2 indicating the result ofrecognizing the travel lane. The image H8 is created in a same method asthe method of creating the image H3 illustrated in FIG. 4D.

The display control unit 16 configures the recognition status displayscreen GE1 illustrated in FIG. 6A by displaying the road image H7 andthe image H8 illustrated in FIGS. 6B and 6C in a superimposed manner. Inthis way, it is possible to display the recognition result of theautonomous driving system 100 in correspondence with the map.Accordingly, it is possible to present the fact that the travel lane isrecognized as the first lane R1 to the driver.

Here, the description regarding the display modes is finished.

The acquisition unit 17 illustrated in FIG. 1 acquires a driver'sdisplay mode switching instruction to switch the display mode of thedisplay unit 8 b. The acquisition unit 17 acquires the driver's displaymode switching instruction based on, for example, the output signal fromthe display mode switch 6.

In a case where the driver's display mode switching instruction isacquired by the acquisition unit 17, the display control unit 16switches the display mode of the display unit 8 b based on the driver'sdisplay mode switching instruction. The display mode switchinginstruction may be an instruction to designate a display mode after theswitching or may be an instruction to simply switch the display mode ina case where the display mode after the switching can be specified by apredetermined order. For example, in a case where the display mode isset to be switched in an order of the setting status display mode, theoperation status display mode and the recognition status display mode,when the driver's display mode switching instruction is acquired by theacquisition unit 17, the display control unit 16 switches the displaymode of the display unit 8 b based on the driver's display modeswitching instruction. In addition, even in a case where the displayunit 8 b is caused to operate in a predetermined display mode, thedisplay control unit 16 may calculate information necessary fordisplaying in another display mode in the background. As describedabove, by generating each of the display screens in each of the displaymodes in parallel in advance, it is possible to perform the quickswitching of the display mode.

The information presentation system 1 is configured to include, forexample, the display control unit 16, the acquisition unit 17, and thedisplay unit 8 b described above.

Next, the display mode switching processing in the informationpresentation system will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of thedisplay mode switching processing in the information presentationsystem. The flowchart illustrated in FIG. 7 starts by the ECU 10 in acase where, for example, the autonomous driving (at least any of thespeed control and the steering control) is executed on the vehicle V andthe display unit 8 b displays the screen in a predetermined displaymode.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the acquisition unit 17 in the informationpresentation system 1 determines the presence or absence of the driver'sdisplay mode switching instruction as determination processing (S10).For example, in a case where a signal is acquired from the display modeswitch, the acquisition unit 17 determines that the driver's displaymode switching instruction is present. In this case, the processproceeds to the switching processing (S12).

The display control unit 16 changes the display mode as the switchingprocessing (S12). That is, the display control unit 16 changes thedisplay mode of the display unit 8 b. When the switching processingends, the display mode switching processing illustrated in FIG. 7 ends.In addition, in the determination processing (S10), in a case where asignal is not acquired from the display mode switch, the acquisitionunit 17 determines that the driver's display mode switching instructionis not present, and the display mode switching processing illustrated inFIG. 7 ends.

In a case where the display mode switching processing illustrated inFIG. 7 ends, the processing is executed from S10 again in the order.That is, the display mode switching processing illustrated in FIG. 7 isrepeatedly executed. For example, the autonomous driving of the vehicleV is finished, even in a case where the display mode switchingprocessing ends, the display mode switching processing is not repeatedlyexecuted.

Here, the display mode switching processing illustrated in FIG. 7 ends.FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram describing the display mode switchingprocessing. As illustrated in FIG. 8, by executing the display modeswitching processing illustrated in FIG. 7, the display mode issequentially switched in each time the driver's display mode switchinginstructions OP1 to OP5 are acquired. That is, a screen displayed in apredetermined display mode is switched to a screen displayed in anotherdisplay mode based on the display mode switching instructions OP1 toOP5. As described above, by making the screen transition, it is possibleto present the information relating to the autonomous driving system 100to the driver while comparing the screens of each display mode.Therefore, it is possible to provide the information relating to theautonomous driving system 100 in an easily understandable aspect to thedriver.

As described above, in the information presentation system 1 accordingto the present embodiment, the display control unit 16 causes thedisplay unit 8 b to perform the displaying in any one of the displaymodes among the setting status display mode, the operation statusdisplay mode, and the recognition status display mode. In a case wherethe occupant's display mode switching instruction is acquired by theacquisition unit 17, the display control unit 16 causes the display modeof the display unit 8 b to be switched based on the driver's displaymode switching instruction. Therefore, this information presentationsystem 1 can present the recognition information of the autonomousdriving system 100 to the occupant in association with the settinginformation in the autonomous driving system 100 and the travelinformation based on the occupant's instruction.

In addition, in the information presentation system 1 according to thepresent embodiment, in a case where the display unit 8 b is caused toperform the displaying in a recognition status display mode, the displaycontrol unit 16 may cause the travel lane of the vehicle V recognized bythe autonomous driving system 100 and the certainty level of recognizingthe travel lane on the display unit 8 b. In this case, this informationpresentation system 1 can present the travel lane of the vehicle Vrecognized by the autonomous driving system 100 and the certainty levelof recognizing the travel lane to the occupant in association with thesetting information in the autonomous driving system 100 and the travelinformation of the vehicle based on the occupant's instruction.

The embodiment of the present invention is described as above. However,the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.The present invention can be executed in various forms in which variouschanges and modifications are made with respect to the above-describedembodiment based on knowledge of those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle comprising: an external sensorconfigured to detect surrounding information of the vehicle; a displayunit configured to display a recognition result associated with thesurrounding information, of the vehicle, detected by the externalsensor; and a display control unit configured to cause the display unitto display the recognition result associated with the surroundinginformation, of the vehicle, detected by the external sensor,recognition result based on a certainty level of the recognition result.2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit isconfigured to cause the display unit to display the recognition resultas first information when the certainty level is lower than apredetermined value, and wherein the display control unit is configuredto cause the display unit to display the recognition result as secondinformation, that is different than the first information, when thecertainty level is equal to, or higher than, the predetermined value. 3.The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit isconfigured to cause the display unit to display the recognition resultas a first object when the certainty level is lower than a predeterminedvalue, and wherein the display control unit is configured to cause thedisplay unit to display the recognition result as a second object, thatis different than the first object, when the certainty level is equalto, or higher than, the predetermined value.
 4. The vehicle according toclaim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to switchbetween a recognition status display mode, in which the recognitionresult is displayed, and another display mode.
 5. The vehicle accordingto claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured to switchamong a set of screens, including: (A) a first screen which displaysobjects, indicating the recognition result of other vehicles travellingin front of the vehicle, in a superimposed manner on an image,corresponding to a front of the vehicle, that is imaged by the externalsensor; (B) a second screen which displays the image, corresponding tothe front of the vehicle, that is imaged by the external sensor; and (C)a third screen which displays another image, including an objectindicating another recognition result corresponding to a travel lane ofthe vehicle, that is imaged by the external sensor.
 6. The vehicleaccording to claim 4, further comprising: an internal sensor configuredto detect a travelling state, of the vehicle, that includes at least oneof a speed, an acceleration, or a yaw rate, of the vehicle; and a travelcontrol unit configured to control a travel plan in an autonomousdriving state, wherein at least one of the speed of the vehicle or asteering of the vehicle is controlled in the autonomous driving state,wherein the display control unit is configured to switch between therecognition status display mode and a setting status display mode inwhich setting information, for the travel plan set by an occupant of thevehicle or the travel control unit, is displayed, wherein informationidentifying a set vehicle speed and a set vehicle-to-vehicle distance isdisplayed between information associated with a set of objectscorresponding to boundary lines of a driving lane, and wherein anotherobject, indicating that the setting information is being displayed, isdisplayed outside of the information associated with the set of objectscorresponding to the boundary lines of the driving lane.
 7. The vehicleaccording to claim 1, wherein the recognition result corresponds to atravel lane associated with the vehicle; and wherein the vehicle furthercomprises: a vehicle position recognition unit configured to calculatethe certainty level based on a position of the vehicle and mapinformation.
 8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the displayunit is a head up display (HUD) projected on a windshield of thevehicle; and the display control unit is configured to cause a virtualimage, including the recognition result, to be projected on the HUD. 9.The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit isconfigured to acquire travel information including at least one of aspeed of the vehicle, a distance to another vehicle, or a lateralposition of the vehicle; and wherein the display control unit isconfigured to cause the display unit to display the travel information.10. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the display control unitis configured to cause the display unit to change the display of therecognition result based on the certainty level associated with aposition of the vehicle.
 11. The vehicle according to claim 1, whereinthe display control unit is configured to cause the display unit tochange the display of the recognition result based on the certaintylevel associated with a travel lane of the vehicle.
 12. The vehicleaccording to claim 1, wherein the display control unit is configured tocause the display unit to change the display of the recognition resultbased on the certainty level of an external situation of the vehicle.13. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is anavigation screen display; and wherein the display control unit, whencausing the display unit to display the recognition result associatedwith the surrounding information of the vehicle detected by the externalsensor, is configured to: cause the navigation screen display to displaythe recognition result associated with the surrounding information ofthe vehicle detected by the external sensor in association with mapinformation.
 14. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the displaycontrol unit, when changing the display of the recognition result basedon the certainty level, is configured to change a degree of transparencyof an object that corresponds to the recognition result.
 15. The vehicleaccording to claim 1, wherein the display control unit, when changingthe display of the recognition result based on the certainty level, isconfigured to change a color of an object that corresponds to therecognition result.
 16. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein thedisplay control unit, when changing the display of the recognitionresult based on the certainty level, is configured to change a numericalvalue that corresponds to the certainty level of the recognition result.17. A method, comprising: detecting, by an external sensor of a vehicle,surrounding information of the vehicle; displaying, by a display unit ofthe vehicle, a recognition result associated with the surroundinginformation, of the vehicle, detected by the external sensor; andcausing, by a display control unit of the vehicle, the display unit todisplay the recognition result associated with the surroundinginformation, of the vehicle, detected by the external sensor, whereinthe display control unit changes a display of the recognition resultbased on a certainty level of the recognition result.